A 49-year-old Air Zimbabwe employee, Jacob Mutemeri, appeared in court accused of stealing Jet A1 fuel from his employer’s plane at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport. [SLIDE]
Mutemeri was charged with theft and granted US$150 bail by a Harare magistrate. He is set to return to court on January 23, 2025. The allegations date back to November 2024, when a Boeing 737 named “Mbuya Nehanda” returned from Botswana and was parked for maintenance. The plane had reported a fuel leak and was carrying 6.3 tonnes of fuel. Instead of ensuring the plane was secured, Mutemeri allegedly devised a plan to steal the fuel while it awaited service.
Between November 15 and 22, 2024, Mutemeri reportedly drained fuel from the aircraft nightly. Using an Air Zimbabwe Nissan Navara vehicle, he would drive to the hangar where the plane was parked and transfer the fuel into containers. Surveillance caught him entering the hangar multiple times,
including on November 15, 16, and 18, always exiting through Gate A3 in the early hours of the morning. His actions were eventually discovered, leading to his arrest and court appearance.
